Free....Free....Free....

What is it about free that perks up our ears, makes us smile and think we have gotten over on something or somebody? Well, it doesn’t cost anything and you get something, hopefully something you want and can use. It feels good to get something absolutely free, no strings attached, nothing expected. I’m not talking about like at the grocery store when you purchase an item and get another one like it for free, a 2 for 1. I mean that’s cool; you feel like you are getting more for your money but there is still that initial output.

Yesterday, I received an email to print out a coupon from Jack in the Box to get two free tacos (normally 2 for a $1.00). They did this a few months ago and I guess it warranted a redo. I figured if I was in the neighborhood, why not? Of course, I know what their angle is; it is to get you in there to spend money on other items. About a month ago, Denny’s Restaurant announced they were giving away a Grand Slam breakfast which included pancakes, eggs and bacon or sausage, normally about a $5.00 value.

Why are these places giving away free food? Well, my theory is these places are losing business and this is a way to get back in the public’ radar. I mean, you have so many choices, so many alternatives. So, they put these freebies out as if they are sensitive to the economic crisis and they are good guys, so they are giving us a break. Now that is a good thing. Now, the Jack in the Box things seemed to be pretty tame, there didn’t to seem to be any long lines or stampedes. But my daughter and niece went to Denny’s and let’s just say, there is really a recession going on. The offer ran from 8:00 am – 2:00pm on a Tuesday, I believe. They got there about 10:00am and the line was wrapped around the corner. They were told by those waiting, it would be at least two hour wait!!! They said forget it; it ain’t that serious and went to another restaurant and paid for a breakfast. LOL
Rebecca, my daughter, said what was amazing to her was that this was a weekday and the people that were willing to stand in line for a free breakfast was mind-boggling. She said, don’t these folks have a job to go to? That brought home just how many people are out of work and how much that free food meant to them?

Now, I really got excited about a real “free” deal. My ever resourceful daughter signed us up for a cosmetic class-action suit. Christian Dior, Estee Lauder, Chanel, among other cosmetics companies were dispensing $175 million worth of free cosmetics to consumers due to some price confusion. And it turns out that even those who weren’t involved in the suit were eligible after our Channel 7 consumer reporter blabbed it on the news. But then what woman has not spent money at a department store cosmetics or fragrance counter. Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdales, Nieman Marcus, and some other mostly high-end stores were distributing the cosmetics on January 20. Now why did that date sound familiar?

I was unsure of this, especially since it was broadcast and EVERYONE could get it; they even had some men’s products. So, it is Inaugural morning and we are sitting around eating grits, eggs, biscuits and bacon and drinking mimosas watching the swearing-in when Rebecca suggested that we had some time between the swearing in and the parade and lets go to Stoneridge Mall and see what was up with the free cosmetics. My sister, Flo, Jennifer, Cynthia,, her daughter, Tiffany, Rebecca and I headed out and what greeted us was this long line in Nordstrom’s; we could see it when we hit the shoe department. Oh my. I said loudly, “Why aren’t people at work or home watching the Inauguration?” LOL. So, what could we but get in line. But they were prepared for this and it was very orderly, quick; about 10 minutes, and organized. The cosmetics included perfume, body lotion, body wash, Lancôme mascara (I was told by one young woman, it was the good stuff), face and skin cream. You marked down what you wanted. No exchanges, no changing your mind. I chose the Boucheron perfume. We then headed over to Macy’s and I got the Givenchy perfume. On the way home, I stopped by the Macy’s near my house; another long line, again orderly. I got Vera Wang body wash. These were some great products. I heard that some women were going all over the county to all the stores that were involved and even got back in the same line two or three times. Wow. I was happy with my free stuff and have been enjoying the items.

They say the best things in life are free. I don’t know about that. A friend of my daughter who is always looking for a bargain told us about Slick Deals. www.slickdeals.net
There are all kinds of great bargains and free stuff!

Enjoy!

Black History Month… But I’d Rather We Got Casinos

Black History Month… But I’d Rather We Got Casinos

February is getting away from me but I could not let it go by without mentioning Black History Month. I am not being cavalier but I don't get really excited about February as being the month we celebrate being black. Oh sure, it’s nice to view the different PBS program offerings and other television specials. Last weekend, TNT introduced “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” about the magnificent neurosurgeon which I thoroughly enjoyed. But the truth of the matter is I live, breath, practice Black History all the time. You see I love my people, I love black folk. I love our history, culture, our ways, well… most of them; how we do, well… most of the time. LOL

I regularly attend black cultural events, all year round. I attend programs and events at the African American Museums in both Oakland and San Francisco as well as book events at black-owned Marcus Book Store, supporting our writers and purchasing their books. I am a board member and active in the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California whose mission is to research and promote black genealogy, history, and culture. I can go on but I think you get the picture. I looove me some Black!

Last Sunday morning I was listening to Brian Copeland’s talk show on KGO Radio while getting ready for church. His guest was Larry Wilmore, an actor/comedian/producer and writer. He is currently on the satire news show, “The Daily Show.” He has written for The Bernie Mac Show, In Living Color, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, among other shows. Wilmore was also the co-creator of the PJs with Eddie Murphy.

Wilmore has just released a book, I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts. I was immediately intrigued by the title and listened as he waxed philosophically about the irony of Black History Month. Comic and satirist that he is, I got where he was coming from. Black folks get the short shrift by getting the shortest month of the year but what happened to our forty acres and a mule? The Native Americans got their reparations to an extent with land and casinos. Wilmore’s book is a commentary on race relations, the aftermath of slavery, and how we should all just get along. I just might pick it up.

I appreciate the Black History profiles that one of my colleagues from one of our sister colleges has been sending out via our email system. I have especially been enjoying one of my APOOO sister’s blog as a great source of Black History profiles. Up and coming writer and blogger, J.C. Martin, is showcasing her stuff on a daily basis over at Words Mosaic http://wordsmosaic.com/
Go to the lower left to Featured Category #1. There you will find out about black folks, some you know, and some you don’t.


Power to the People!

Second Month of 2009 First Quarter Reading Challenge

Well, I didn’t read as many books as I had planned to read in January; however, I am more than sure I will make the 13 book quota for the First Quarter Reading Challenge by March 31.

Books Read in January
Title Author Rating

1. Red Light, Green Light Margaret Hodge Johnson 4.5

2. A Little Piece of Sky Nicole Bailey-Williams 4

3. Seduced by Moonlight Janice Sims 3.5 (APOOO review)

4. Where the Line Bleeds Jesmym West 4/4.5

(APOOO BOM, Vine review)

5. Tempest Tales Walter Mosley 4 (Marcus BOM)

6. The Red Tent Anita Diamant 4.5/5

Red Light, Green Light will make my favorites list for 2009, undoubtedly in the top 10. The author puts you there in New York City in the aftermath of 9/11. She has you in the mind and body of a crack-addicted man trying to stay clean. Hodge-Johnson wrote this book.

Where the Line Bleeds will also be on my favorites lAs a matter of fact I wrote a blog about it-

http://derarwilliams.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-read-lot-of-books-about-100-year.html

The Tempest Tales was a great book club discussion. Debating the merits of heaven and hell, good vs. evil, judgment, temptation, and the moral compass made for lively debate.

A pleasant surprise was A Little Piece of Sky. My introduction to Nicole Bailey-Williams last fall for The Love Child Revenge was not a pleasant reading experience. In fact it was a disappointing read and a waste of my time and intelligence. ALPOS was a small volume packed with lyrical, beautiful language and a story that captivated me. Had a kind of Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street feel to it.

I cannot believe I had not read The Red Tent. I found the book buried at the bottom of my book pile with the Amazon.com receipt still in it from March 2002! It was a gift from one of my APOOO sisters. TRT had me looking at the Bible in a new light and wanting to delve deeper into the Old Testament. I had some of the same sentiments as Sister APOOOer Yasmin Coleman. http://www.apooobooks.com/sunday-salon-january-rewind-fast/

And of course, my girl, Janice Sims, a great romance writer and friend, set me up right with Seduced by Moonlight. Nothing like a Calgon moment.

The plan is to read the following books for February. We shall see.

7. Protect and Serve - Gwyneth Bolton

8. Straight Outta East Oakland - Harry Louis Williams II

9. Something Like Beautiful - asha bandele (APOOO BOM)

10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Marcus BOM) - Junot Diaz

11. Black and White - Lewis Shiner

12. Secret Daughter - June Cross (APOOO review)

13. Like a Might Stream: The March on Washington, August 28, 1963- Patrik Henry Bass (Black History Read)

14. And selected stories from Best African American Fiction: 2009 & Best African American Essays:2009, both edited by Gerald Early.

Stop by and let me know what is in your queue and how your 2009 reading is going or a link to your list.

Until next month.

Cuban Concert Redux

Cuba is never far from my mind. The trip last spring remains still a life affirming, life altering adventure after almost a year. And the music is always in my head; I find myself humming a Latin tune and doing the salsa around the house. Attending a rooftop concert at Pablo Mene'ndez’ house in Havana was one of the highlights of the trip. Born in Oakland, Mene'ndez went to Cuba with his mother, blues and jazz singer, Barbara Dane, and never came back. The concert on the rooftop of his home at twilight was amazing. Cuban jazz and blues beats, we just couldn’t get enough.

Earlier this week, one of my Cuban trip colleagues sent an email saying that Mene'ndez would be at Yoshi’s, a popular supper club in Downtown Oakland. Wednesday night was free and the ticket price was right. It was on and poppin’ and Mene'ndez and the members of Mezcla did not disappoint. They put on a show peppered with Mene'ndez’ stories of his love for Cuba (pronounced koo-ba) and the contrast of that country with the Bay Area. How the mixture of races in Cuba is the same here; the rich diversity and love for art and music. Evidently, Mene'ndez has quite a following in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area as the place was packed. It was standing room only (we had good seats) but nobody was complaining; just jammin’.

He was joined by Barbara Dane, his mother, who, as an activist in the 60s, sang folk and freedom songs at rallies and sit-ins. Mama still has it in her 80s, scatting and harmonizing with the best of them. It was a great night. It wasn’t a rooftop in Cuba but it was the next best thing. Pass the mojitos.

He's the President-- Get Over It

He’s the President, Get Over It


We have a new President and the whole world knows it. Folks from all over the world are singing his praises from school children to the elderly. The world has been waiting for this moment almost as long as we have, since Barack Obama came into the national arena in 2004. Yes, we have a new President and whether you like or not, he is here to stay. Matter of fact, if you don’t like it, I don’t want hear about it. He's the President--get over it.

A friend of mine sent me an email of this woman’s column, a black woman at that. This person went on to say that the world is rejoicing but she is not and cannot be happy for Barack Obama. My friend asked me what I knew about this person and what could I found out other than she is a Republican. (See my earlier column- Black Republicans- Who Needs Them? http://derarwilliams.blogspot.com/2008/11/black-republicans-who-needs-them.html) I was at first curious, but the more I read, the more ridiculous she sounded. This woman has all the credentials Condoleezza Rice has; masters and PhD degrees and some of the most elite colleges in the nation, a lecturer and professor at universities, but she sounded stupid. I stopped reading and shot off an email to my friend that: 1) the nation, make that, the entire world was elated for President Barack Obama’s inauguration, that; 2) I was not going to let some azz hole dampen my elation and enthusiasm, and furthermore 3) I was deleting the email and erasing the person’s name form my memory; I could care less what nonsense she was spewing and wasn’t nobody studyin’ her anyway. Get over it, lady. Barack Obama is the President.

As a matter of fact; now that I am on the subject, for all you haters out there, don’t say anything to me negative about, not only Obama, but Michelle, his kids or anybody in his family. I was talking to a co-worker Thursday, who told me she had to walk away from another black woman who criticized Michelle’s Inaugural outfit and her ball gown. She couldn’t just say, she didn’t like it; it wasn’t her taste but that quote” her dress was ugly and she doesn’t dress her girls right.” My friend told me, “That is what is wrong with our people. We always have to be negative about each other. That woman is so beautiful; she stands tall and proud with grace and anything she puts on is beautiful; I just had to walk away.” That is exactly how I felt. I had had someone tell me something similar over the phone from another campus that same day. I just had to shake my head. I am sick of negative people. Always moaning and complaining; some of them, poor things, are so negative about life in general, they cannot rejoice in victory for tearing down and dissecting every move our First Family makes. Get over yourself. It is not about you. Geesh! As my grandmother used to say, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing. Get over it!

Where the Line Bleeds--A Southern Tale: Review & Commentary

I read a lot of books, about 100 a year. I read some good books, and some great books; needless to say, I have also read some bad books. Every once in awhile I run across a book that resonates with me emotionally and leaves me with a feeling that belies the publishing industry’s assertion that black readers are satisfied with reading mediocre writing, drama for drama sake, gratuitous sex, and drug warfare.

Jesmyn Ward, debut author of Where the Line Bleeds, in my opinion, has created a work of art. Now, I know that art is in the eye of the beholder, or is it beauty?; maybe I am getting confused with another saying. Is it one man’s art is another man’s garbage? No, that’s not it—but you get the picture. What are the ingredients or essential criteria that make me sit up and take special notice with some books? Besides the fact that I am a nerd, albeit, a cool nerd, as my daughter says?

Give me a southern setting, family dynamics, descriptive scenery, a sense of place, flawed, wounded characters, cultural aspects, conflict and good writing and you got me on GP. Put the story together in the backdrop of African American culture that is real, reverberates with a contemporary and current theme juxtaposed with historical aspects and that makes for the Dera Williams stamp of approval. Beware, this book is not for everyone, and maybe not for most people and from the reaction of my online book club, I might be the lone fan in my reading circle.

It is the summer 2005, in the rural town of Bois Sauvage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and 18 year-old twins, Joshua and Christophe DeLisle have just graduated from high school. Joshua is able to obtain employment at the dock, a job “with good money” while Christophe, unable to secure a job, drifts into selling drugs; he feels it is his only option. Their lives are influenced by the area in which they live—90 miles from New Orleans, in a small town, where segregation is practiced by tradition as it is in most small southern towns, by the socio-economic status that is endemic to these conditions in the South and the U.S. in general, by their Creole culture, by the limited opportunities and the seemingly low expectations and aspirations of the characters; this is not a pretty story. On the eve of Katrina, when the nation was exposed to the ills of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast; with all the inadequacies that America witnessed and appalled the majority of us, the DeLisle twins; their beloved maternal grandmother, Ma-mee; their mother, Cille, who abandoned them; their crack addicted father, Sandman, and a host of other relatives, friends and townspeople are like characters in a play called Disaster About to Happen.

I felt as if I were sitting in a theatre, a witness to a family and a people on the verge of a crisis; a series of scenes of people playing roles that were foreshadowed to end badly. Someone said Southerners move slowly; I can attest to that as a frequent visitor to the South, place of my birth. The hot, lazy summer days, time moving at a snail’s pace, summertime in the rural South is like no other. Sweet tea, swatting flies, family gatherings, Friday fish frys; there is an attitude of I’ll get to it when I get to it. The fictional town of Bois Sauvage could have been the rural town where my family reunions in Arkansas on the Louisiana border are held or any of the surrounding towns . Joshua and Christophe could be any one of my young male kinfolk who are victims of their circumstances; wracked by poverty, lack of employment, lack of ambition, lack of opportunities, real and imagined, drifting, aimless; their biggest hope to get a job at the mill or plant where their fathers and uncles work; the jobs that have dried up, that are no longer available. Walking around with a beer can in one hand and a blunt in the other, occasional trips to the gambling boats on the Misssissppi, making babies, and bringing another generation into the same vicious cycle. Despite integration decades ago of schools and workplaces, there is the pervasive awareness of racial differences, complicit consciously or unconsciously by both black and white in keeping it alive. Driving along the highways of Arkansas and Louisiana, I have seen the fine, stately homes that are inhabited by whites, homes the native blacks see on their way to Little Rock or Shreveport or the nearest Wal-Mart as the Highway 110 Joshua and Christophe drive by on the way to New Orleans; places they cannot imagine to live in and the simmering resentment that is carried in their hearts.

These were the circumstances and the breeding ground; the stage I saw that was set for Katrina when I was down South in 2005 just one month prior to the biggest natural disaster of the century. But as the Gulf Coast was virtually washed away, I see hope; hope in the rebuilding, and a change in our nation with a new presidency and a renewed hope by those who have felt disenfranchised and displaced.

I loved the nuances of the characters, their dialect so reminded me of my childhood friend’s New Orleans born family; the characteristics of a black family with Creole roots; the family loyalties and closeness. This was a story about twin brothers and their unconditional love, loyalty and conflict, about mothers and sons, about fathers and sons and the complex emotions of abandonment, and choices that can change lives in a blink of an eye. There was some exquisite writing, phrases reminiscent of Morrison--- “The marsh greenery shuddered and bent into the caress of the air crossing from the gulf to the lake……” (pg 161). Having said that, I will admit Ward did occasionally get bogged down in details and that is coming from someone who thrives on detailed stories. She also overdid it on the metaphors and similes; indicative of writers who obtain a MFA in writing. There is this belief in degreed writing programs that the more literary devices used the better; this is so not true, in fact an oversaturation can be deemed amateurish. But do not get it twisted; this is a literary work; it is not urban fiction as it has been defined by publishers despite the presence of young people and drugs.

So, there you have it. The thoughts of Dera R. Williams; I loved this book but as much as I did, I would not recommend it to my local book club; I can see them cursing me out, right and left about the long meandering sentences. So, my recommendation would be for other nerds that are lovers of southern, family dramas with a literary bent that address social issues.

Are Black Women Looking for a Heroine?

As Black Americans, are we always looking for a hero or heroine? I was forced to stop and examine this question because of an online conversation I had with someone about Michelle Obama. I had sent to this person what I considered a very well-written article, American Girl, by Ta-Nehisi Coates for The Atlantic. Coates has deftly made the correlation of being black and being American as being synonymous with his portrayal of Michelle Obama. I do not know if the person I sent the article to did not read the entire article or just did not get it because her remark was that she was sick of the drama around Michelle Obama and black women seeing her as some kind of queen, and that black people are looking for a hero.

Wow. That was two days ago and I have not responded as yet. I thought it was best to get my thoughts together because I did not trust what I wanted to say or that it would come out the right way. So, I am asking, is this true, are black people looking for a hero? I had forwarded several articles about the Obamas and especially the ones on Michelle. Many of them were black women writing about Michelle as a shining example of the ultimate black woman. Some of them were quite adoring, a little syrupy maybe, but I found no problem with them. So I am thinking now, are we putting the future First Lady on a pedestal; are we building her so high on the throne because we are hungry for someone to look up to?

Speaking for myself and myself only, I do not put anyone on a pedestal. Only God can be elevated to the status of royalty as far as I am concerned. But I give credit where credit is due. I feel a kinship, a sense of sisterhood with the future First Lady. In a world where black women are vilified and disrespected on an everyday basis, of course I delight in a woman such as Obama, beautiful, intelligent, accomplished, a devout mother and wife as being an example of a black woman we ALL can be proud of. That is it, plain and simple. Nothing more.

Just after Thanksgiving, I was sent an email about submissions to an anthology for a book of letters to Michelle Obama to be published by SUNY Press. It was due in a couple days, December 1 and I wondered what I had to say that would be significant but I sat down and typed up something I was finally pleased with. To my surprise and delight my submission was accepted. The goal was reached to have the book published in time for the Inauguration January 20. So now, I am doing some shameless promotion of Go, Tell Michelle, African American Women Write to the New First Lady. Am I in need of a hero or heroine? I don’t think so. Do I think First Lady Michelle Obama is worthy of being recognized and feted? She is all that and a bag of chips.


Go, Tell Michelle
http://www.sunypress.edu/index.asp?site=True


Behind the idea for the book: Uncrowned Queens
http://wings.buffalo.edu/uncrownedqueens/